1911 Trigger Job Clinic Part 3 Disconnector

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If you need a detailed explanation on detail stripping the pistol, it's not aproblem as I already have it written up on a notepad. All I have to do is
cut and paste it. The reason that I haven't is because it should be on a
separate thread...and nobody has asked.

Hey 1911TTuner, I would appreciate it very much if you would post the explanation on detail stripping the pistol.

Thanks!

Edit: Ok, sorry guys. After a little more investigation I found the stripping threads.
 
Being the owner of a 1911 style .45 ACP for a few years now, and having always been a wheel gun junkie, it has come to my attention after reading through this thread that I am somewhat dumber than a equal weight of rocks.
I learn more readily by observation than by reading, I actually don't know what to tell anyone that asks, "what you got there buddy" other than a .45,,which is somewhat confuseing when everone who can spell gun has at one time made something along the lines of a 1911 .45 ACP

Please continue with this educational thread, I'll just read along and maybe one of these days the little light will come on and I will be able to respond to the "WHAT HAVE YOU GOT THERE BUDDY" with a answer that is somewhat intelligent.

Thanks to 1911 Tuner for shareing his expertise with the unlearned of the world.
 
Well, I've read these clinic threads (as well as many of the other stickied 1911 threads) until my eyes and head hurt. Seriously, I'm turning off the computer after I click post cuz my eyes hurt. This is the thread that made it all "click" in my brain. Now I'm starting to actually understand what actually goes on in there for the first time in my life.

I'm on my 7th 1911 and I'm just now figuring this out. :eek:

Profuse thanks to all who've contributed to this knowledge base.
 
My old ADD brain tends to do better with visual aids, so here are a couple of little graphics I did up awhile back to show the bare-bones basics of how the disconnector works - what it does, and how - and common errors folks make when prepping disconnectors. The graphics are obviously not to-scale, and that is on purpose; some things are exagerated to show them better. They are also not intended to be an all-inclusive explanation of everything that goes on inside the fire-control system, out-of-spec problems, etc. Just the bare bones to give folks a basic understanding. Hopefully, along with Tuner's written explanations, it'll help folks who are just starting to try to understand the basics of what that weirdly shaped little piece of metal does.

Best,
Jon

DisconnectFunction.gif

DisconnectorPrepMistakes2.gif
 
I'm not a complete idiot when it comes to 1911's, but when I left the thread from Part 1 (about the hammer/sear) and came here, I had a good laugh at this because I'm clueless when it comes to disconnectors as well.. You're not alone Rom! You seem as interested in all of this as I am!!
 
When you push down on the top of the disconnector, the "click"...or
interruption that you feel and hear is the disconnector breaking contact with the sear, and should only felt and heard if the trigger is held rearward. This is normal. If you hear it when the trigger is forward, it
indicates that the spring is catching or snagging on a tool mark on the
ramped angle on the back of the disconnector. Lightly polishing the
bottom of the ramp and also the top of the center leaf is the cure for this. Be very careful not to change that angle, and remove only a bare minimum of material from the ramp...Just enough to make it smooth.

When you hand cycle the slide and release the trigger, you may hear another click. That one is the top of the disconnector striking the slide in
the half-moon shaped cut. If the "click" is sharp, it indicates that the disconnect is a little too long, or the cut is too shallow. This doesn't usually cause a problem unless the cut becomes impacted with dirt or fouling. The indication of a problem will be that the hammer won't fall when the trigger is pulled, because the disconnector can't move into the connected position. It may also cause the hammer to fall to half-cock under certain conditions.

Would this click that you refer to translate to a click or extra movement that I feel in my trigger before the sear breaks but after the pre travel is taken up? I have an RIA m1911-a1 CS. For the most part this gun has given me no issues and functionally works perfectly, but this little click that I feel before the break when slow squeezing the trigger drives me crazy. I was given the idea on another thread that it was the disconnect slot on the top of the frame and that I needed to polish it with emery cloth on a small screwdriver. What are your thoughts on that? Below is my RIA. Stock except for a new STI trigger, RAASCO custom grips and stainless grip screws/bushings.

RIA1911.jpg


below is my posting in some more detail on another forum.

Hello All!,
I'm new to this forum, and I've already had the opportunity to gain a wealth of knowledge from the forums. Thanks to all of you who post here!

I've recently acquired an m1911-a1 CS from Rock Island Armory. I've had nothing but good experiences with it so far. I'm probably at around 300 rounds or so through it now with not a single loading or firing issue. The only thing that is bothering me is the trigger pull. The trigger breaks half way consistantly, but there is occasionally a click or extra movement prior to the sear breaking from the hammer but after the pre travel is taken up. I've taken the gun down numerous times to look for any tell tale signs of rubbing between any of the firing components and can't seem to find where the issue is coming from. With the gun completely disassembled except for the trigger, mag release, hammer, sear, and disconnect i've tried tracing the origins of the click or extra movement with no progress in the right direction. I tried polishing the contact point between the trigger bow and disconnect as well as the surface where the disconnect lies inside the sear to no avail. At this point i'm relatively stuck as I don't want to even come close to the contact point between the sear and hammer even though it doesn't seem thats the portion that is moving. The extra movement is hard to feel unless you are slow squeezing the trigger with very slight pressure to the break. Sometimes you feel a slight click or maybe even a couple of them that move the trigger an extra couple of millimeters back before the break. I've considered replacing the sear, disconnect, and hammer, but I seriously doubt that despite their claims that there is such thing as a true drop in part or trigger pull kit. This 1911 is working perfectly otherwise, but i'm looking for a crisp trigger break as I've felt with many other 1911s that i've experienced. Is this something I can ask of this RIA? If so, what's the best way to proceed? Is there such thing as a trigger pull kit that will work out of the box on my RIA? I want to transform this baby into a gun I feel confident and comfortable enough with to carry daily, and I'm not there right now. Would you all recommend upgrading or can I reasonably accomplish this with some upgrades and help?
 
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